Earnings Call: Q4 2026

Apr 28, 2026

Hello, everyone. This is Tomoyuki Shimoda. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend our company's financial presentation today. We sincerely appreciate your time. First, I will explain the financial results overview. Please turn to page 4. The cumulative results for the fiscal year ended March 2026 are as shown here. Compared to the previous fiscal year, net sales increased to a record high due to factors such as higher net sales per guest. However, operating profit decreased due to increases in various costs. Meanwhile, both net sales and operating profit exceeded the initial forecast, primarily due to an increase in net sales per guest. In addition, based on our full-year results, we have increased the annual dividend for the fiscal year ended March 2026 by 1 JPY from the initial forecast, setting it at 15 JPY per share. Please turn to page 5. I will now explain the results by segment and the factors behind the changes. Compared to the previous fiscal year, net sales for the theme park segment increased by JPY 16.2 billion to JPY 568.3 billion. Attendance was roughly the same as in the previous fiscal year. While the rush of demand prior to the closure of Space Mountain contributed to the previous fiscal year's results, the fiscal year under review saw strong performance from special events and full-year operation of Fantasy Springs. As a reference, I will explain the trend in attendance in the fourth quarter compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. For the 3-month period of this quarter, the attendance numbers were approximately 1% lower. By month, January was approximately 5% lower. February and March were largely similar. Net sales per guest reached a record high of JPY 18,403, driven by factors such as increased revenue from attractions and shows. Attractions and shows revenue increased mainly due to a rise in Disney Premier Access sales and an increase in the proportion of higher-priced tickets due to variable pricing. Merchandise revenue increased primarily due to a rise in Duffy and Friends' 20th anniversary merchandise and products related to special events. Food and beverages revenue increased due to the reopening of restaurants that were closed during the previous fiscal year, among other factors. Please turn to page 6. Operating profit for the theme park segment decreased by JPY 9.9 billion to JPY 130.4 billion, primarily due to increases in personnel expenses and miscellaneous costs, although net sales increased. While the food beverages cost ratio increased due to factors such as higher manufacturing labor cost percentages, the merchandise cost ratio decreased due to improved material yield resulting from changes in the sales mix, resulting in the overall merchandise and food beverages cost ratio to decrease. Personnel expenses increased due to differences in the recognition of performance bonuses and lump sum payments between fiscal years ended March 2025 and March 2026, as well as an upward revision of employee salaries and wages and an increase in headcount. Miscellaneous costs increased due to higher maintenance costs for Fantasy Springs and an increase in IT related expenses resulting from the replacement of IT equipment. Please refer to page 7. In the hotel business segment, thanks to an increase in accommodation revenue driven by higher average charges per room and the full-year operation of the Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel, net sales increased by JPY 8.5 billion to JPY 119 billion, reaching a record high. The room occupancy rate for Disney hotels during the fiscal year under review decreased by 1 percentage point to 94.7% due to a decline in reservations made through Tokyo Disney Resort Vacation Packages, while the average room rate increased by JPY 4,705 to JPY 69,591. Although personnel expenses and depreciation and amortization expenses rose, operating profit increased by JPY 6.3 billion to JPY 36.8 billion, also reaching a record high driven by higher net sales and other factors. Please refer to page 8. Net sales for the other business segment increased by JPY 0.3 billion to JPY 17.1 billion, driven by growth in the Ikspiari business and others. Operating profit decreased by JPY 0.1 billion to JPY 0.4 billion, mainly owing to higher personnel expenses and miscellaneous costs. Please turn to page 9. I will explain the comparison with the initial forecast. Although attendance fell short of our expectations, mainly in the fourth quarter, this was offset by factors such as a higher-than-expected net sales per guest, resulting in net sales and operating profits exceeding the initial forecasts. As a reference, I will explain the trend in attendance compared to the full year forecast of 28 million. For the three-month period of this quarter, the attendance numbers were approximately 5% lower. By month, January was approximately 5% lower, February was approximately 5% lower, and March was approximately 6% lower. That concludes my remarks. Thank you very much. Hello, everyone. This is Wataru Takahashi. I will explain our earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2027. Please note that as there are currently many uncertainties regarding the impact of geopolitical risks on our various business segments, we have not factored these into our full year earnings forecast. We will continue monitoring the situation closely and provide updates as necessary. Please turn to page 11. First, I would like to explain our premises for the full fiscal year ending March 2027. As a result of factoring large scale renovations at Disney hotels and other factors, we expect a temporary decline in profits for the fiscal year ending March 2027. However, we aim to enhance our business performance by implementing various initiatives. In addition to hosting the Tokyo DisneySea 25th anniversary event, we will consider expanding the range of facilities applicable for Disney Premier Access and reviewing appropriate pricing, and will prepare to introduce a service that allows guests to purchase Disney Premier Access before their visit. Furthermore, regarding park tickets, we are actively considering a price revision during the fiscal year. Since we are prepared to pass on value to pricing, we will also consider raising the price ceiling. Please turn to page 12. The earnings forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2027 is as shown. Although we anticipate increased net sales for the fiscal year due to factors such as higher attendance and increased net sales per guest, we expect a year-on-year decline in profits due to room renovation work in the hotel business and increases in various costs. Please refer to page 13. I will explain the factors contributing to the changes by segment. Net sales for the theme park business are expected to increase by JPY 23.8 billion to JPY 592.2 billion. Attendance is projected to reach 28 million, an increase of 470,000 driven by the Tokyo DisneySea 25th anniversary events and a rise in the number of overseas guests. Although the external environment remains uncertain due to factors such as the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and the impact of Japan-China relations, we expect the number of overseas guests to increase as a result of a rise in the number of foreign visitors to Japan and the strengthening of promotional activities. Please refer to page 14. net sales per guest are expected to increase by JPY 309 to JPY 18,712. Revenue from attractions and shows is expected to increase due to a larger proportion of higher price tickets resulting from variable pricing and growth driven by Disney Premier Access. Merchandise revenue is expected to decrease primarily due to a decline in regular merchandise sales and the discontinuation of Duffy and Friends 20th anniversary merchandise, which will offset the anticipated increase in sales of Tokyo DisneySea 25th anniversary merchandise. Food and beverages revenue is expected to remain largely unchanged. Please refer to page 15. Operating profit for the theme park segment is expected to decrease by JPY 1.7 billion to JPY 128.7 billion. The merchandise and food beverages cost ratio is expected to increase, raising costs by approximately JPY 1.5 billion. This is primarily due to higher costs resulting from foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Personnel expenses are expected to increase by approximately JPY 2.5 billion due to factors such as compensation revisions and an increase in the number of full-time employees, offsetting the decrease resulting from the recognition of performance bonuses in the previous fiscal year. Miscellaneous costs are expected to increase by approximately JPY 16.5 billion, primarily due to higher maintenance costs and increased expenses related to Tokyo DisneySea 25th anniversary events. Please refer to page 16. I will now explain our miscellaneous costs. We anticipate an increase of approximately JPY 16.5 billion in miscellaneous costs, and the breakdown of this increase is as shown here. The increase of approximately JPY 4 billion is due to costs driven by the external environment. We expect these costs to continue rising. The increase of approximately JPY 3.5 billion represents costs for medium to long-term growth. We believe we can control approximately JPY 1 billion in one-time costs for the fiscal year ending March 2027, as well as approximately JPY 8 billion in the base costs. Regarding cost control, we will fundamentally overhaul our budget management system and reduce unnecessary costs by appropriately allocating resources to essential expenses. We aim to improve the accuracy of our budgets and establish a system that enables us to execute plans as intended. Moving forward, we will aim for cost optimization through fundamental cost control over the medium to long term, minimize the extent of increase, and achieve the financial targets set forth in the 2035 Long-term Management Strategy. Please turn to page 17. Net sales for the hotel business segment are expected to decrease by JPY 3.2 billion to JPY 115.7 billion due to guest room renovation work. Operating profit is expected to decrease by JPY 6.1 billion to JPY 30.7 billion due to factors such as increased costs associated with guest room renovations. Please turn to page 18. In the other business segment, net sales are expected to decrease by JPY 800 million to JPY 16.3 billion, while operating profit is expected to increase by JPY 300 million to JPY 800 million. Please refer to page 19. I would like to explain our dividend policy. Based on our full year results, we have set the annual dividend for the fiscal year ended March 2026 at JPY 15 per share, an increase of JPY 1 from the initial forecast announced at the beginning of the fiscal year. As announced in our 2035 Long-term Management Strategy, we will continue to maintain stable dividends while prioritizing the allocation of resources to growth investments. We will steadily increase the dividend payout ratio to a 30% level by 2035. For the fiscal year ending March 2027, we forecast a dividend of JPY 16 per share, an increase of JPY 1 from the previous fiscal year. Please refer to page 20. I will explain the implementation of a special shareholder benefit. Please turn to page 21. This year marks the 30th anniversary of our group's listing. To express our gratitude to our shareholders, we have decided to offer a special shareholder benefit. We will distribute 1 1-Day Passport to all shareholders holding 100 or more shares as of September 30, 2026. As announced in our 2035 Long-term Management Strategy, we will continue to strengthen shareholder returns through measures such as increasing the dividend payout ratio, repurchasing treasury stock, and expanding shareholder benefits. We ask our shareholders and investors to continue supporting our group's growth over the medium to long term, and we appreciate your continued guidance and encouragement. Please refer to page 22. Next, I will explain the outlook for the future. Please turn to page 23. The outline of the 2035 Long-term Management Strategy announced in April 2025 is shown here. In the first year of the 2035 Long-term Management Strategy, we steadily implemented initiatives aimed at achieving our goals. For example, regarding growth investments, we steadily advanced the development of new attractions. In the cruise business, we resolved to establish a subsidiary, ORIENTAL LAND CRUISE CO., LTD., with the aim of accelerating commercialization and achieving specialized management and operation of cruise ships. We will consistently implement initiatives aimed at overall growth of the company. Please turn to page 24. There are no changes to the goals set forth in the 2035 Long-term Management Strategy. We will continue to maintain our steady pace of growth investments and strive to achieve the goals of the 2035 Long-term Management Strategy. In addition to our theme park segment, Disney Cruise Line Japan is scheduled to launch in fiscal year 2028 and begin year-round operations in fiscal year 2029. We will continue to strive to create happiness for our guests by further enhancing the appeal of Tokyo Disney Resort and offering family entertainment cruises. Please turn to page 25. In closing, I would like to once again share my sincere thoughts with you. This year marks a major milestone, the Tokyo DisneySea 25th anniversary. Over the course of a quarter century, Tokyo DisneySea has taken on many challenges, creating new and memorable experiences each time. Despite changes in the external environment, the value we aim to deliver remains unchanged, and we are steadily moving forward with discussions towards our next leap forward. Our mission is to provide a place where guests can truly enjoy themselves. For children, we want to provide a world where they can go on adventures, let their imaginations run wild, and dream big. For adults, we want to offer a world where they can forget their daily worries and fully immerse themselves in an extraordinary experience. Not only at Tokyo Disney Resort, but also in our cruise business, we will continue to deliver experiences that far exceed our guests' expectations. Please look forward to the future of our group. That concludes my remarks. Thank you very much.